Important Players Who Could Leave NC State in Transfer Portal

RALEIGH — In the wake of Will Wade's exit after just one season and the hiring of Justin Gainey at NC State, there's strong reason to believe that there will be a mass exodus of players from the 2025-26 roster. Given the way things ended even before Wade decided to leave, this was already likely to be the case.

Still, the new regime is trying to put a roster together in a hurry and there were some valuable members of the team from the prior season. Four of the five starters were seniors, but there were a handful of younger contributors that Gainey could target for retention. However, these players seem more likely to pursue other opportunities when compared to someone like Paul McNeil.

Matt Able

In his first collegiate season, Matt Able learned a lot about the trials and tribulations of the college game. After an up-and-down start for the talented four-star recruit, Wade gave him some more leeway down the stretch as he tinkered with his lineup. Able responded well and played some of his best basketball, although Wade still coached him very hard.

Able was originally committed to Miami before flipping when Jim Larrañaga retired, but Jai Lucas turned the Hurricanes into a juggernaut in the ACC in his first season, while Able and the Wolfpack struggled to a 20-14 record. The coaching change at NC State might give the young guard even more reason to enter the portal and potentially explore a reunion with the Hurricanes, although Gainey could still try to keep him with a promise of a larger role.

Terrance Arceneaux

After starting his career with Houston and playing in a national championship game, Terrance Arceneaux transferred to NC State as a redshirt junior in hopes of earning a larger role under Wade as he tried to jumpstart the Wolfpack with battle-tested players. He ended up falling out of favor early in the year as he dealt with injuries and off-court issues, according to Wade himself, but worked his way back.

By the end of the season, he offered the Wolfpack a talented 3-and-D wing option off the bench, but still never cracked the starting five. It's unclear how Gainey and his staff view Arceneaux, but he was likely a candidate to transfer before the coaching change, much like Able. While nothing is impossible, it's hard to envision Arceneaux in a Wolfpack uniform in the 2026-27 season.

Musa Sagnia

It was a race to get him to the United States in time for the season, but Musa Sagnia offered the Wolfpack some of its only playable size at 6-foot-10. The raw forward hailed from the Gambia, but played professionally in Spain before choosing to join Wade and the Wolfpack in hopes of developing further for a potential NBA role. There were flashes of serious talent, particularly defensively.

Given the emphasis Gainey is going to put on toughness, there's an expectation that size will be particularly targeted in the transfer portal for the new regime at NC State. That might put Sagnia on the outside looking in for the Wolfpack's future, meaning the valuable bench piece might be better off moving on from Raleigh.